Register



Aug.

Filed May 18, l1935 w. L. MARDEN 1,970,526

REGISTER 2 Sheets-sheet 1 Aug. 14., 1934. i w, L, MARDEN 1,970,526

REGISTER med Ma'y 18, 1953 zsheets-sheet 2 ullmqm INVENTOR i Ik .Muvffm NE lli Patented Aug. 14, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REGISTER Application May 18, i933, Serial No. 671,608

5 Claims. (Cl. i4-|353) In an application ofCharles S. Hazard, Serial No. 681,4a0, filed July 2l, 1933, there is disclosed a compensating mechanism intended to be interposed between a measuring instrumentality such, for example, as a Water meter or a gasoline meter, or a measuring instrumentality for some other commodity, and the register mechanism by which the operation of the measuring instrumentality is registered, for the purpose oi effecting a change of rate of the register mechanism to compensate for a change such as a change in the operation oi the measuring instrumentality or in the character or price of the commodity. In the form of compensating mech anism disclosed in said application several pairs of gears having different numbers ci teeth are mounted upon a movable carrier so that one of such pairs, necessary to compensate for a change in operating conditions, such as a change in unit price, may m brought into operative relation with a gear actuated by the meter and a driving gear oi the register mechanism. The invention now to be described has been designed to serve a similar purpose and is embodied in a different specific form ot the compensating device sought to be covered in said application of Hazard comprising a movable carrier and a series oi single gears supported thereby and having diierent numbers oi teeth, the construction being such that any two of such gears, disengaged :from the other gears of the series, but in mesh with each other, can be brought into operative relation, the one with a gear actuated by the measuring instrumentality and the other with a gear of the register mechanism, whereby a different speed ratio, suited to the conditions oi operation, can be established at will between the driving instrumentality and the register mechanism.

The invention will be more fully explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in vrhich it is illustrated, and in which.:

Figure l is a vievv in elevation, as seen from the left hand in Figure 2, showing a register mechanism, the indicating devices operated thereby, and the improved compensating mech-1 anism, so much of a measuring instrumentality as is necessary to enable the application of the invention to be understood being shown in section.

Figure 2 is a view of the same in elevation, as seen from the right hand in Figure l, with the casing in vertical section. f

Figures 3 and 'i are respectively a top view r il, notched at its periphery, as at i2, for engageand an underside view oi the carrier with its gears. f

Figure 5 is a top View showing particularlyT the devices by which the gears in operation are engaged With the gear oi the measuring instru- 6@ mentality and with the gear of the register mechanism and the device by which the carrier is retained in position.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail vievv in section on the plane indicated by the broken line 6 6 @5 of Figure 5.

in the embodiment of the invention illusm trated in the drawings there is shown at u a portion of the casing of a disc meter ci -Well. linown construction with which is associated the compensating mechanism to be described and a suitable iorm of register mechanism, such as that shown, for example, in Letters Patent oi the "United States No. 1,563,770, December l,

i925. at e is indicated a man driven from me il metering mechanism and mounted in bearings `in a frame c which. receives and supports the compensating mechanism and theregister mechanism. A casing d, encioses the compensating mechanism and the register mechanism and 3 supports a dial d1 for cooperation with the pointers or indicator hands d2 and d3 as usual. The register mechanism may be of any suit1 able construction. ln the register mechanism illustrated a gear e driven from the meter u through the compensating mechanism to be dem scribed actuates a shaft el trom which, through a worm gear indicated at e2, is driven the totalm izing register ,f and from which, through a Worin gear indicated at e3, is driven the mechanism by which the indicator hands arel actuated, all as represented in said Patent No. 1,563,776?.

The gear b1, driven from the meter, rmeshes with a gear y on a shaft g1, mounted in suitable bearings in the framework and provided with a 9 driving head g2. A shaft it, also mounted in bearings in the irameivorh, is provided at its upper end with a driving head il and at itslovver end with a gear h2 which, through gears a3 and ai, drives une gea-f e and man e1. une mi plates c1 and c2 of the framework support respectively a stud c3 and a stud ci. Y Mounted to rotate on the stud c3 is a carrier which, in' the construction shown, comprises a sleeve i, a plate ment with the stud ci, and provided with a knob 'i4 by which it may be raised and rotated, and further provided with a series of lheaded. pins i5. On each of the pins i5 is mounted, with capacity for rotation and also with capacity for vertical movement between the plate 'il and the headed end ci the pin i5, a gear 1c. Each of such gears is formed to mesh with the adjacent gear and the several gears have respectively different` numbers civ teeth as, for example, 21 teeth, 22 teeth, 23 teeth, 24 teeth, 25 teeth and 26 teeth. Each of the gears is formed for engagement with 'the driving head gf2 on the shaft g1 and for engagement with the driving head 11.1 of the shaft h. For this purpose each gear may be provided with properly formed and properly spaced holes k1 to receive similarly placed pins g3 of the head g2 or pins h3 of the head h1. Ordinarily the plate il and its knob iq1 are covered by a locked door e5 of the casing. When compensation is to be made the door c5 is opened and the knob i4 is grasped to liit the plate il above the end of the stud c4, thereby releasing the gear carrier for rotation. Such lifting of the gear carrier raises such gears as were in engagement with the driving heads g2 and h1 out of such engagement. By manipulation oi the "knob i* the gear carrier is rotated to place other two of the gears k, as determined by the gear ratio to be established, in position above the driving heads g2 and h1 and the corresponding notch in alignment with the stud c4. The gear carrier is then lowered and as the two gears are engaged yby the two driving heads those two gears which,

with all the others had dropped against the headed ends of the pins i5, strike the hubs of the heads g2 and 71.1 and are raised thereby into the relative position represented in Figure 5, being thereby taken out of mesh with the gear at one side or the other or both, as the case may be, such gears still remaining in their lowest position as determined by the headed ends of the pins. In this manner the ratio between the measuring instrumentality andl the register mechanism is determined by the ratio of the two gears then in operative relation with the meter and the register mechanism.

It will be understoodvthat various changes in disposition of the parts may be made to suit con ditions of use without departing'from the spirit oi the invention and as well that the compensating mechanism can be interposed in operative relation between measuring instrumentalities and register mechanisms of other kinds and adapted for other purposes than those which have been illustrated herein for explanation of i the nature of 4the invention.

I `claim as my invention:

1. The combination with la driving gear and a' driven gear of a compensating mechanism including a movable gear carrier, a series of intermeshing gears having different numbers of teeth mounted on the carrier and'nor-mally in the same plane, and means for eiecting operative engagement between any two contiguous gears of the series and said driving and driven gears respectively.

2. The combination with a driving gear and a driven gear of a compensating mechanism in cluding a gear carrier movable in two different planes, a series of intermeshing gears having diierent numbers of teeth mounted on the carrier and normally in the same plane, and means for eiiecting operative engagement between any two contiguous gears of the series and said driving and driven gears respectively, all of said intermeshing gears being movable axially with reference to the carrier whereby when said intermeshing gears are moved to effect engagement between any two of them and said driving gear and said driven gear respectively such two gears .are moved out of engagement with adjacent intermeshing gears.

3. The combination with a driving gear and a driven gear mounted to rotate on fixed axes, of a compensating mechanism including a plate movable in its own plane and in a direction at right angles thereto, a series of pins supported by said plate, a series oi single intermeshing gears having different numbers of teeth mounted rotatably and axially movable on said pins, means for effecting operative engagement between any two contiguous gears of the series and said driving gear and said driven gear respectively, and means whereby when operative 1 engagement between any two of said contiguous gears and said. driving gear and said driven gear is eilected, such two contiguous gears are moved out of engagement with adjacent gears of the series.

4. The combination with a driving gear and a driven gear mounted to rotate on nxed axes, of a compensating mechanism including a rotary plate notched at its periphery, a stud to engage in one or another of the notches to prevent H5 rotation of the plate, a series of intermeshing gears mounted on the carrier and normally in the same plane, means for effecting operative -engagement between any two of said intermeshing gears and said driving gear and said driven gear respectively, and means to disengage said plate from said stud and to rotate the plate.

5. The combination with a driving gear and a driven gear, of a compensating mechanism including a series of intermeshing gears having different numbers of teeth rotatable on and axially movable relative to the carrier, said gears being normally in the same plane, driving heads in operative engagement with said driving and driven gears respectively, and means to displace any meshed pair'of said gears rotarily and axially to cause them to move out of engagement with adjacent gears and into engagement with said driving heads.

y as WILLIAM L. MARDEN. 

